Deerfield, Ill., High School, where officials required students to attend a "gay" indoctrination seminar

Officials at Deerfield High School in Deerfield, Ill., have ordered their 14-year-old freshman class into a "gay" indoctrination seminar, after having them sign a confidentiality agreement promising not to tell their parents.

"This is unbelievable," said Matt Barber, policy director for cultural issues for Concerned Women for America. "It's not enough that students at Deerfield High are being exposed to improper and offensive material relative to unhealthy and high-risk homosexual behavior, but they've essentially been told by teachers to lie to their parents about it."

In what CWA called a "shocking and brazen act of government abuse of parental rights," the school's officials required the 14-year-olds to attend a "Gay Straight Alliance Network" panel discussion led by "gay" and "lesbian" upperclassmen during a "freshman advisory" class which "secretively featured inappropriate discussions of a sexual nature in promotion of high-risk homosexual behaviors."

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"This goes to the heart of the homosexual agenda," Barber said. "The professional propagandists in the 'gay-rights' lobby know the method all too well. If you can maintain control of undeveloped and impressionable youth and spoon-feed them misinformation, lies and half-truths about dangerous, disordered and extremely risky behaviors, then you can control the future and ensure that those behaviors are not only fully accepted, but celebrated."

He said not only is forcing students to be exposed to the pro-homosexual propaganda bad enough, but then school officials further required that students sign the "confidentiality agreement" through which they promised not to tell anyone  including their own parents  about the seminar.

Barber said that also aligns with the goals of the disinformation campaign being run by those in the pro-homosexual camp. "That's what homosexual activists from GSA are attempting to do, and that's what DHS is clearly up to as well."

The situation, according to district Supt. George Fornero, was partly "a mistake."

He told CWA, the nation's largest public policy women's organization, that requiring children to sign the confidentiality agreement wasn't right and the district would be honest with parents in the future about such seminars. But CWA noted that even after the district was caught, parents still were being told they were not welcome to be at the "freshman advisory" and they were not allowed to have access to materials used in compiling the activist curriculum.

Barber noted the damage being done is significant.

"Until DHS and other government schools across the country are made to stop promoting the homosexual agenda, kids will continue to be exposed to  and encouraged to participate in  a lifestyle that places them at high risk for life-threatening disease, depression and spiritual despair," he said.

It's not the first situation where WND has reported on schools teaching homosexuality to children.

In Massachusetts after a school repeatedly advocated for the homosexual lifestyle to students in elementary grades, several parents sued, only to have the federal judge order the "gay" agenda taught to the Christians.

The conclusion from U.S. District Judge Mark L. Wolf found that it is reasonable, indeed there is an obligation, for public schools to teach young children to accept and endorse homosexuality.

Wolf essentially adopted the reasoning in a brief submitted by a number of homosexual-advocacy groups, who said "the rights of religious freedom and parental control over the upbringing of children would undermine teaching and learning "

David and Tonia Parker and Joseph and Robin Wirthlin, who have children of school age in Lexington, Mass., brought the lawsuit. They alleged district officials and staff at Estabrook Elementary School violated state law and civil rights by indoctrinating their children about a lifestyle they, as Christians, teach is immoral.

"Wolf's ruling is every parent's nightmare. It goes to extraordinary lengths to legitimize and reinforce the 'right' (and even the duty) of schools to normalize homosexual behavior to even the youngest of children," said a statement from the pro-family group Mass Resistance.

An appeal of that decision is pending.

The judge concluded that even allowing Christians to withdraw their children from classes or portions of classes where their religious beliefs were being violated wasn't a reasonable expectation.

"An exodus from class when issues of homosexuality or same-sex marriage are to be discussed could send the message that gays, lesbians, and the children of same-sex parents are inferior and, therefore, have a damaging effect on those students," he opined.

"Under the Constitution public schools are entitled to teach anything that is reasonably related to the goals of preparing students to become engaged and productive citizens in our democracy," the judge wrote. "Diversity is a hallmark of our nation. It is increasingly evident that our diversity includes differences in sexual orientation."

And, he said, since history "includes instances of official discrimination against gays and lesbians it is reasonable for public educators to teach elementary school students different sexual orientations."

If they disagree, "the Parkers and Wirthlins may send their children to a private school [or] may also educate their children at home," the judge said.

What do you think the school officials would do if any of those kids voiced an opinion on the subject? I doubt that anyone would because most kids that old have a "whatever" attitude, especially nowdays when sexuality of any and all forms is so present in society. I think I would've shown up wearing a WWJD teeshirt. Can you imagine the firestorm... Clearly the exposure is meant to accomplish something in a way that meets the least resistance. I doubt that the primary purpose was to promote homosexuality; more likely to promote social tolerance. Either way, the parents should have been given the option to consent or withold their kids from participating. Hopefully it blows up because gagging the students was wrong.

Yet another great reason to homeschool. The idea that school officials have complete control over what is taught and the parents not being able to intervene is wrong. Now they compound it by trying to circumvent the parents entirely. I wonder if the school nurse has a dish of condoms on her desk next to the tissues. Help yourself, kids.

I have some friends whose daughter attends a public school. The teacher asked the class to write about someones. Our friends daughter decided she wanted to write on Jesus Christ. She was told that she couldn't do that because of separation of church and state, can't use the Bible as a reference(because the Bible is not allowed in school), and that he may be a fictional character. The parents are fighting(lack of a better word) with the teacher and principal about this. When I get more information I will let you know.

I have some friends whose daughter attends a public school. The teacher asked the class to write about someones. Our friends daughter decided she wanted to write on Jesus Christ. She was told that she couldn't do that because of separation of church and state, can't use the Bible as a reference(because the Bible is not allowed in school), and that he may be a fictional character. The parents are fighting(lack of a better word) with the teacher and principal about this. When I get more information I will let you know.

I have some friends whose daughter attends a public school. The teacher asked the class to write about someones. Our friends daughter decided she wanted to write on Jesus Christ. She was told that she couldn't do that because of separation of church and state, can't use the Bible as a reference(because the Bible is not allowed in school), and that he may be a fictional character. The parents are fighting(lack of a better word) with the teacher and principal about this. When I get more information I will let you know.

Thanks Bart. It's an interesting situation.

Rich

Yes, please give us an update when you hear more. This story sounds like one of two cases: either your friends misunderstood the teacher's assignment parameters or the teacher is an ideologue pushing a personal agenda which is illegal.

Of course the Bible is a reference, in many cases it's a primary reference, as defined by historians. And it's certainly not prohibited in schools "because of separation of church and state." These arguments are clearly specious.

Besides, if the assignment is to write a biography with references (which I'm only guessing at), there are lots of other historical sources about Jesus/Yeshua including: Josephus, Tacitus, Tertullian, even Celsus who was strongly anti-Christian but certainly believed He was real and not fictional.

My friends had a meeting with their daughters principal and teacher and the principal has allowed the report to be written. She turned the report in last week. I haven't heard what grade she received.

That's good news. The principal sounds like a reasonable person Too bad the teacher is misinformed. Hope it continues to go well.

Rich

Ditto; and thanks for reporting back. As homeschoolers, we don't hafta worry too much about what's going on in the public school system; however, it's nice to know that this was a case of an individual teacher misunderstanding (or purposefully misinterpreting) the Constitution and the law rather than the entire school system having a flawed vision of the state/church dichotomy in the US.

She was told that she couldn't do that because of separation of church and state, can't use the Bible as a reference(because the Bible is not allowed in school), and that he may be a fictional character.

If students cannot write about "fictional characters," we need to dump 90% of reading and literature curriculum out the window. If I am not mistaken, the separation of church and state prevents the teacher from mandating a report about Jesus Christ. It does not prevent the student from choosing to write about Jesus Christ, if given an option.

I know what you mean. Even though we're really just at the half-way point, it does seem that summer is almost over. I had shoulder surgery on July 3rd so in essence, I had the summer "off." I wasn't out of commission very long but can't do so many things that I like to do and laying around isn't my style...

The kids are busy doing their things; the oldest is getting ready to go off to college in a few weeks, sniff... The middle one is working as a camp counselor and the youngest has been away with her girlscout troop and will be going to music camp next week.

It seems that our family is moving into a new and different phase. Pretty exciting, actually. My wife and I are thinking about switching roles. We think our homeschool situation would work better or at least differently, if she becomes the primary homeschooling parent. It means a change in her career, but one that presents itself as a welcome one. I will continue working my schedule of three 12 hour shifts. Ironically, with the tax structure in this country as it is, the loss of income will likely not likely be significant. More importantly, we feel that God is steering us in a new direction and it feels right. More on this later.

Sorry to hear about your shoulder surgery. I hope everything turns out ok. I have been to the emergency room and have test upon test done. They can't find anything wrong at this time.

We are praying for God's guidance in our lives as my wife and I will have to make a decision, after this year, on what our future holds for our family and homeschooling. This is a big decision. Either way is going to be tough.

Did you homeschool your oldest all the way until college? Are you going to homeschool the rest of your children until they go to college?

I hope you have a good restful summer? Take care of your shoulder. What kind of work are you doing now?

Sorry to hear about your shoulder surgery. I hope everything turns out ok. I have been to the emergency room and have test upon test done. They can't find anything wrong at this time.

We are praying for God's guidance in our lives as my wife and I will have to make a decision, after this year, on what our future holds for our family and homeschooling. This is a big decision. Either way is going to be tough.

Did you homeschool your oldest all the way until college? Are you going to homeschool the rest of your children until they go to college?

I hope you have a good restful summer? Take care of your shoulder. What kind of work are you doing now?

Talk to you later,

bwb

Hey Bart,

Thanks for the well wishes. My shoulder will be good as new soon so long as I behave and resist doing too much too soon... As for you, I remember that you were in the emeergency room about a year ago with palpitations. Is that what's happening again? It's really frustrating to have something going wrong and not be able to figure it out.

It sounds like you and your wife are working through more than just homeschooling. As you know, we just went through the same process of reviewing it all again, too. It sure is hard to arrange your living around having a parent home with the kids, let alone educating them in the process. The cold hard fact is that earning enough income competes with providing the quality upbringing that we try to offer. It's a luxury to be able to do this and it shouldn't be. Being in healthcare, ( I'm an RN working in critical care, since you asked) I've had the luxury of being able to work my schedule around those needs.

To answer your other question, we haven't always homeschooled. We started when our oldest began third grade and our son began first. The youngest was just three. Although we knew about homeschooling and were toying with the idea for a few years by then, the reaon we stepped up to the plate was for our son. At the end of his kindergarten year, it was apparant that he wasn't going to do well in conventional school so we were just took him out. We let the oldest choose whether she would continue in school or try homeschooling and she chose to do the latter. The youngest grew up with school happening at the table so by the time she could sit there with the other two, she was in school. We've never had regrets and it's worked well all around, or at least better than conventional school would. Through the years, we've supplemented with tutors and group educating which has added a lot. We do plan to educate the three all the way through high school. We're pretty sure that the youngest will be in college before her brother because she skipped first grade and he's going to repeat last year. It's a real blessing to be able to do so much to accommodate the learning needs of your kids, isn't it?

I really picked up on your worries and frustrations Bart because I'm frequently there with you. We know that we always have our loved one's best interests at heart but sometimes it's very hard to navigate through those choices along the way. We know God gives us what we need to get by but discerning exactly what that is and then having the courage and conviction, sometimes, to carry it out can be daunting. Often we try too hard and think too much which closes our ears to God. I know you're working hard, probably too hard. I pray that you and your wife can feel God's presence, inspiration and direction. Take a deep breath, friend.